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Dr. Grant huddled in the corner of the egg room as the velociraptors prowled around, hunting for him. He steadied his breathing and readied the syringes full of deadly toxins, waiting for his chance. He could try poisoning the eggs and hoping the raptors would eat them; however the birds where always one step ahead of him. It was if they knew what he was going to do before even he did.
As the first raptor approached, Grant lunged out with the syringe, only to meet dead air. A slight shuffle behind him being the only indication of the oncoming counterattack. The Raptor dug its claw into Grants back and dragged him across the floor and smashed him through a table. The other two began to cackle.
As Grant lay dazed and confused he vaguely felt an egg roll up to his foot. As it did a small, feminine voice, began to echo in Grants mind.
“The sins of this island may only be baptized by one borne of its filth.”
“What.”
“I shall explain later, right now, I just need power.”
At that the world around Grant shattered like glass and he found himself floating in space. Despite his circumstances, he was not afraid. If anything, he was overcome with a sense that things where about to get a lot better.
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Standing in Grants place in the egg room was a raptor with a distinct Secretary bird look to it.
“So, the traitor finally shows her face.” Taunted the lead Raptor.
“I only seek to right the wrongs that have occurred here.” Retorted Astra.
“You deny yourself your purpose. We where put on this world for one reason. We’re monsters, killers, it’s simply nature. Fighting it is futile.”
“You’re mistaken, that’s what the humans want us to be. life and death are irrevocably linked, woven together in an eternal cycle that every living thing is required to protect. Your rage is not natural, it’s born from the disruption of the life cycle. Mans original sin that I seek to correct.”
“Bah, this philosophy is getting us nowhere. Deny it all you wish, but you ambition has outpaced your ability, and it’s time you where reminded of that.”
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Dr. Sattler sat in the bedroom mind racing as she watched the raptors slowly chew through the metal bars on the skylight. At their current rate they would be through in four or five minutes. More than enough time to prepare. Grabbing Muldoon and Harding she began to formulate a strategy. During this process Malcom said some stupid bullshit about math and how chaos theory doomed them to failure, but nobody listened to him.
The first raptor slithered in with its usual birdlike grace, and immediately avoided the attack as Sattler attempted to stab it with a sharp piece of rebar. But as it repositioned itself for a counterattack Harding smashed a fire extinguisher into its head, staggering the beast. Finally Muldoon came out with a folding chair and finished it off. The second raptor went down in a similar manor.
“Well, that went-“ Sattler was interrupted as Hammond burst into the room triumphantly waving a piece of paper.
“You’re memes end here Malcom; I’ve drawn you as the soyjack and me as the chad! Any argument you’ve had is now invalid!!!!!”
“The modern science society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done away with class antagonisms. It has but established new sciences, new conditions of science oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones. Science production, therefore, develops technology, and the combining together of various processes into a social whole, only by sapping the original sources of all wealth - the soil and the laborer."
“Malcom, what the fuck are you talking about.”
“Haha, the memories are broken, the truth has gone unspoken, and I’ve forgotten my name.” Malcom then died from a morphine overdose.
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The lead raptor leapt forward, moving in unison with her cronies for a coordinated attack that put Astra on the back foot. Eventually however, one slipped up allowing Astra a chance to gain distance, drawing a katana from the fluff on her chest in the process. After adjusting her grip Astra went on the offensive herself.
The first goon raptor went down in a few strikes, not expecting a counterattack so quickly. The second goon attempted to punish the attack but found themself parried and struck down in one fluid motion.
With a howl the lead raptor struck the floor, filling the room with fog. Effectively blinded Astra closed her eyes and focused her hearing, a slight shuffle to her left gave her enough information to parry in incoming attack. They traded several blows this way until the fog cleared enough for Astra’s parry to land with enough accuracy to throw her opponent off. From there it was a simple matter to finish them.
With a snort Astra sheathed her sword and sprinted out of the egg room towards her true goal.
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After a few short minutes Astra threw open a door and glared at the assembled humans before zeroing in on the old man. Upon seeing her he clapped and laughed.
“Ah, so you finally decided to hatch little one. I must admit I was not expecting the feathers.”
“Silence, I care not for what a worm such as you has to say.”
“Oh, am I a worm now? Tell me Astra, are the worms not the ones who would seek to exploit your kind for unscrupulous reasons?”
“We are not theme park attractions.”
“Of course, of course. You are living, breathing dinosaurs after all. However your rage is misplaced. I merely wished to spread joy to the children of the world by gracing them with your presence!” Astra began to tremble from anger.
“You sought nothing more than to line your own pockets. Your desire for profit has wrought nothing but pain and death. I swear, by every raptor slain to create me, I will burn down all you have built.”
“Ah, you accuse me of being a savage, yet you also want to kill me. Hypocrisy much?”
“I’ve learned that one cannot stop evil with love, only incredible violence.”
“So, it has come to this, has it?”
Astra rushed forward and began to claw, bite and slash at Hammond. But after nearly a minute she had barely left a scratch on the old man. With a chuckle he drop kicked Astra out of the bedroom and onto the hard concrete of the poolside beyond. He then leapt after her.
Astra was back oh her feet almost immediately and resumed her attack, yet Hammond refused to take any damage.
“Why. Wont. You. DIE?!?!” Hammond grabbed her snout and held it in an iron grip.
“Evil Science money my dear.” Hammond tomb stoned Astra shattering the concrete. “It teleports medication into me in response to physical trauma. You can’t hurt me Astra.”
As Hammond readied another attack Astra rolled out of the way and began to take evasive action. It was a dangerous dance, trying to combine defensive evasion with offensive pressure, but she did her best.
Hammond was strong, but he was also predictable. His punches and kicks where fast and easy to chain together so they had to be evaded. However his earth shatters and similar attacks had sizeable end lag and where able to be punished with ease. Eventually one of Astra’s attacks caused Hammond to stagger and gag.
“W-what??” the old man’s panic was obvious.
“So, your medication does have a limit. I thought so.”
“No, nonononononononononono that’s impossible!!” with a final, sickening gurgle Hammond collapsed into a heap and melted into a puddle of orange goo.
Astra sniffed the puddle, so Hammond did have body doubles after all. She had hoped to never return to the Volcano Manor, but she had no choice. If the real Hammond was anywhere, he would be there.
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The air was heavy with the stench of rot and sulfur as Astra descended into the Raptors secret volcano lair. Despite her best efforts the sounds of screaming and death refused to leave her mind as she passed through empty nest holes and rookeries. Dissonant memories and whispers from the manors former inhabitants danced through Astra’s vision as she pushed deeper. In a way, it seemed fitting that it should end where it had begun. Where Hammond had sacrificed countless young raptors in his cruel desire to create the perfect one. Until he was left with just one egg.
Astra has absentmindedly wandered back to the pit where the grim ritual had taken place, the stench was overpowering. Clenching her jaw, Astra reaffirmed her vow to avenge all who had been lost in the name of Hammonds greed.
The trek to Hammonds throne room was uneventful and she soon found herself face to face with a horrid mass of dinosaur parts. Despite this, it reeked of Hammond.
The chimera unfurled like a flower revealing a triangular head at the end of a long, Sauropod neck. With a roar the chimera began to attack.
The head struck like a snake and bit the ground behind Astra as she leapt to avoid the attack. Landing on the chimera’s neck she rand down it, slashing as she went before going wild on the core. She had only a few seconds to attack before being swatted away to repeat the cycle.
The next time she was able to bait the head to attack Astra was out of position and was forced to block the blow with her sword. But as the neck was retreating the end lag was just enough for Astra to retaliate, slicing clean through the head. The head screamed and died.
The core began to shift, and another neck emerged from it, this time with Hammonds face at the end.
“So, you have come to join my family at last? Come, we shall destroy the government togethahhhhhh” he then grew a long arm and pulled a bone sword out of the severed neck.
Hammond struck hard and fast, mixing his heavy sword swings with quick jabs to force Astra on the defensive permanently. Hammond would occasionally disgorge a raging spirit or heavy bolts of lightning to catch her after a dodge or parry.
“I am become alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, you have grown strong Astra, as I had hoped. With your power none can stop me!” and with a final slam knocked Astra back, and she was unable to stand.
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What am I?
What am I?
What am I?
What am I?
What am I?
What am I?
What am I?
What am I?
What am I?
What am I? What am I? What am I? What am I? What am I? What am I? What am I?
“Giving up that easily, huh?”
Astra was floating in space with Dr. Grant.
“I gave you my power and you can’t even finish the old bastard off, huh. I don’t believe that for one second that you can’t beat him. Get up. Come on, GET UP.” At that each star began to glow more brightly and a resounding chorus of “Get up!” began to echo around Astra. And in a burst of light and heat she was back, glaring down at Hammond.
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Astra discarded her sword and began quickstepping Hammonds attacks instead. Eventually Hammond readied a massive overhead slam only for Astra to catch it. And with a mighty heave she wrenched it out of Hammonds grasp and ran him through with it. She then grided down the blades edge and kicked Hammonds core. Hammond attempted to throw her off, but she redirected the momentum and hit the core harder. With a final howl Hammond bent reality and teleported the two them into the upper atmosphere.
Before Astra could react Hammond grabbed her and held her down, so she faced the full force of reentry. Only for a stray satellite to smack into Hammons face letting Astra slip out of his grasp. Astra then dove after Hammond, and suplexed him into a nearby nuke satellite detonating several at once.
With Hammond severely weakened Astra channeled the rage, spite, and despair caused by this one old man into herself and fired a laser from her eyes into Hammonds body blasting off the last of his core revealing his brain.
Moving fast she rushed down entering Hammonds mind and confronting the old man in his most pure essence.
The real Hammond was a pathetic thing. the definition of someone who had everything handed to them, who had failed upward his whole life, who was convinced he was the future while being shackled to the past. Astra put him out of his misery and let him die on the floor like an animal.
At that Hammonds body dissolved allowing Astra to fall back to earth. Hammonds death finally allowing those he had killed to pass on in peace and return to the afterlife. Their last wish being to allow Astra to fall to earth safely.
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The public never learned what had transpired on Isla Nublar. No one involved said anything, and the island burned to the ground due to a grease fire 3 weeks after the fact. All investors involved in the “Jurassic Park” project where later found dead with a single black feather being the only unifying clue to them.